Mark Zokle on “Golden Bridge” Close

A famous Chinese general once said the best way to defeat your enemy was to build them a golden bridge. According to Mark Zokle, this suggests that paving a path for an enemy is more desirable than starting a fight. We can borrow this idea for sales strategies by pointing out undesirable options or nearly impossible circumstances, which are likely to gently guide the customer to pick out exactly what you want themto want.

Mark Zokle uses the following scenario as an example:

I’m sorry, we’re out of the pool with the powder coated steel frame. Oh, no, I don’t recommend the 18-foot option, all of our other customers say they wish they had purchased the 30 foot pool. What’s that? Yes, we have our newer model in stock, I will show it to you.

In this example, the salesperson is steering his customer to a better product at a slightly higher price. Mark Zokle explains that the customer will benefit from having a better swimming pool and the salesperson will likely receive a higher commission for selling one of the newer models.

Mark Zokle notes that in order for the Golden Bridge closing technique to be effective, you must close off other options that your customer might consider, so that they have no choice but to move in the direction of the item you are suggesting.

Your job is to help the customer lose interest in alternative products, notes Mark Zokle. This tactic is effective when there are a number of options to choose from but you only have one or two that you truly believe in. Another benefit here is that you can take some time and acquire more in-depth knowledge about your most reliable products so that you can answer the customer’s questions in depth. After all, points out Mark Zokle, a customer will be more likely to buy the item that you can offer the most information about, especially if it is comparable cost-wise.

Advertisements

Share this:

Like this:

Post navigation

About Mark Zokle

Growing up in small town Ohio, Mark Zokle knew early on that he was different than everyone else. He was more confident and more charismatic, but also more interested in academics than in filling up his social calendar.

After high school, Mark Zokle accepted a job at a large manufacturing operation. One of the youngest in the company, he was at ease speaking about his company’s products and had more knowledge about the industry than people with twice his experience. His natural born leadership abilities caught the attention of company executives and Mark Zokle was offered a position in sales. Never being one to back down from a challenge, Mark Zokle accepted and has grown to become one of the nation’s most respected commercial sales managers and trainers.

Mark Zokle has made appearances as a keynote speaker and has trained thousands of sales representatives throughout his now 20-year-long career. His accomplishments include raising one company’s annual sales by more than $63 million in three years and being recruited by BCI Acrylics, Inc., one of the nation’s leading manufacturers of quality acrylic bathroom remodeling products.

As BCI Acrylics’ national sales director, Mark Zokle is responsible for training the company’s hundreds of sales representatives and teaching BCI brand dealers on how to grow the bottom line by using proactive marketing strategies. He is an active team leader who holds an open door policy. When he isn’t focused on developing training materials, Mark Zokle can often be found mentoring new salespersons and he never misses an opportunity to help a young professional launch a successful career.

Mark Zokle is a goal-oriented professional who maintains a consistent line of communication between himself and his national and regional directors. He is known for leading by example and for offering continual and relevant training for BCI’s employees. Since Zokle’s appointment with BCI, the company has been awarded contracts with Hilton, Best Western, and Wyndham Hotel and Resorts.